FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the NHB

I would like to become a member of the National Honey Board. How do I join?

Because the NHB is an instrumentality of the USDA, there are really no members, dues or joining the National Honey Board.

The National Honey Board's purpose is to expand domestic markets for honey and honey products. Assessments are collected on honey and honey products packed or imported in the United States. The National Honey Board collects these funds and uses them for research and development, advertising and promotion of honey and honey products, consumer education, and industry information.

The National Honey Board's 20 board members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Board consists of three first handlers, two importers, one importer-handler, three producers, and one marketing cooperative representative and their alternates. The Board is located in Fredrick, Colorado. You can access a listing of current Board members and alternates on the National Honey Board roster.

Bees and Beekeeping

How do I find beekeeping associations or publications?

The American Beekeeping Federation provides a list of common beekeeping associations and publications at the link below.

How can I find a beekeeper to come and speak to my classroom?

I am looking for information on beekeeping.

We suggest getting in touch with your state beekeeping association for resources and help getting started. You can search for your local association on the American Beekeeping Federation's website below.

Cooking with Honey

How do I substitute honey for sugar?

When substituting honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe. For baked goods, make sure to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F to prevent overbrowning; reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Because of its high fructose content, honey has higher sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.

Honey Properties

What is the role of pollen in honey?

Honey is made by honeybees from the nectar of flowers and plants, not pollen. Pollen is actually an accidental guest in honey, brought back by bees as a source of food for baby bees (the “brood”), or incidentally introduced into the honey through other means, such as during the extraction process. Pollen in honey is sometimes analyzed to help determine the primary floral source. The amount of pollen in honey is minuscule and not enough to impact the nutrient value of honey. Honey is still honey, even without pollen.

Does honey have an expiration date?

Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize. These are temperature-dependent processes, making the shelf life of honey difficult to define. For practical purposes, a shelf life of two years is often stated. Properly processed, packaged and stored honey retains its quality for a long time. If in doubt, throw it out, and purchase a new jar of honey!

Obtaining Honey

Where can I purchase a specific type of honey or honey product?

Please visit www.honey.com/honey-locator. On this section of the website, you can search for specific types of honey varieties as there are more than 300 nationwide. It also includes ways to search for other forms of honey (like comb honey or whipped honey), as well as honey from a particular location (such as your home state) and for other goods and services offered by honey producers, packers and importers.

I would like to buy some of your honey.

The National Honey Board does not buy or sell honey. We are an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs.

However, we do provide the option to purchase honey, as well as sell honey in our Honey Locator. The Honey Locator is a valuable search tool that helps people find suppliers to purchase honey from. The website includes ways to search for specific honey varietals, as well as different forms of honey, like comb honey or whipped honey. Honey purchasers can also search for honey from a particular location (such as their home state) and for other goods and services offered by honey producers, packers and importers.

The Website

May I have permission to link to your websites?

I would like to use some of your recipes on my website. May I have permission to use your recipes?

You may use any recipes from our website, but you may not use any of our photography. All of our photography is copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Please credit the National Honey Board when using our recipes. If possible, please provide a link to www.honey.com.

Raw or Processed

Is raw honey more nutritious than processed or filtered honey?

While there is no official U.S. federal definition of “raw” honey, it generally means honey that has not been heated or filtered. We often see or hear claims that raw honey is more nutritious or better for you, primarily because raw honey may contain small amounts of pollen grains that are often removed during processing or filtering.

Honey is produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants, not pollen. Pollen occurs only incidentally in honey. The amount of pollen in honey is miniscule and not enough to impact the nutrient value of honey. A 2004 study by the Australian government found the percentage of dry weight canola pollen in 32 Australian canola honey samples ranged from 0.15% to 0.433%.

A 2012 study by the National Honey Board analyzed vitamins, minerals and antioxidant levels in raw and processed honey. The study showed that processing significantly reduced the pollen content of the honey, but did not affect the nutrient content or antioxidant activity, leading the researchers to conclude that the micronutrient profile of honey is not associated with its pollen content and is not affected by commercial processing. The 2012 study and abstract with statistical analysis was presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference in Boston April 20–24, 2013.

What is raw honey?

While there is no official U.S. federal definition of raw honey, the National Honey Board defines raw honey as “honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.” This definition does not have any legal authority, but is provided to help in the understanding of honey and honey terms. The complete honey definitions document created by the National Honey Board is available here: The Definition of Honey

Honey Filtration

Why is most honey filtered?

According to USDA Grading Standards for extracted honey, filtered honey is honey that has been filtered to the extent that all or most of the fine particles, pollen grains, air bubbles and other materials normally found in suspension have been removed.

Honey that is filtered by packers is filtered for various reasons:

Many consumers prefer honey that is liquid and stays liquid for a long time.

All honey crystallizes eventually. Suspended particles and fine air bubbles in honey contribute to faster crystallization. Filtering helps delay crystallization, helping the honey to remain liquid for a much longer period than unfiltered honey.

Many consumers prefer honey to be clear and brilliantly transparent.

The presence of fine, suspended material (pollen grains, wax, etc.) and air bubbles result in a cloudy appearance that can detract from the appearance. Filtering is done to give a clear, brilliant product desired by consumers. For the filtered style of honey, USDA Grading Standards for Extracted Honey give higher grades for honey that has good clarity.

Honey is filtered to remove extraneous solids that remain after the initial raw processing by the beekeeper.

Various filtration methods are used by the food industry throughout the world. Ultrafiltration, a specific kind of filtration used in the food industry, should not be confused with other filtration methods generally used in the honey industry. When applied to honey, ultrafiltration involves adding water to honey and filtering it under high pressure at the molecular level, then removing the water. It is a much more involved and expensive process, which results in a colorless sweetener product that is derived from honey, but is not considered honey in the U.S.

Honey that is filtered through more traditional methods is still honey, even if pollen has been removed along with other fine particles.

Pollination

How do bees pollinate plants?

As bees travel from blossom to blossom in search of nectar, they brush against the pollen-bearing parts of a flower (anther or stamen) and pick up pollen. When the honeybee goes to another flower for more food, some of the pollen from the first flower sticks to the second flower. In this way, the flowers are pollinated. Almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, sunflowers, watermelon and many other crops all benefit from honeybees for pollination.

How do bees make honey?

Honey is the sweet fluid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. Worker honeybees transform the floral nectar that they gather into honey by adding enzymes to the nectar and reducing the moisture.

Stinging Insects

How do I tell the difference between honeybees and other stinging insects?

To tell the difference between a honeybee and other insects, please visit the following site.

Removing Bees

Who should I call to remove bees from my property?

We suggest that you contact your local beekeeping association. You can click the link below to view a directory of associations by state.

Honey Appearance

Why does my honey look or taste different from what I'm used to?

Honey comes in many colors and flavors. These are called honey varietals and they are determined by the types of flowers the bees visited for nectar. Some are light and sweet; others are dark and bold. Pick the honey you like and enjoy!

My honey has become solid (crystallized). Is it still good?

Crystallization is the natural process by which the glucose in honey precipitates out of the liquid honey. Different varieties of honey will crystallize at different rates, and a few not at all. If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve; or place the honey container, with the cap open, into near boiling water that has been removed from the heat; or place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey. Also keep in mind that you can eat the honey in a crystallized form. Just scoop out of the jar and spread it on your toast or drop it in your tea!

Honey Weight

How much does honey weigh?

Eight fluid ounces (or 1 cup) of honey weighs 12 ounces. Be careful in buying and measuring quantities of honey. Honey is typically sold by weight rather than volume. It is heavier than water; the standard for "fluid ounces," which is why 1 cup of water is considered 8 fluid ounces, but 1 cup of honey will actually weigh 12 ounces. A gallon of honey weighs approximately 12 pounds.

Nutrition

What is honey’s nutritional information?

Please follow the link below for technical specification about the nutritional components of honey.

Infants and Honey

Why can't I feed honey to my baby younger than one year of age?

Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores that can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious disease that affects the nervous system of young babies (under one year old). C. botulinum spores are present throughout the environment and may be found in dust, soil and improperly canned foods. Adults and children over one year of age are routinely exposed to, but not normally affected by, C. botulinum spores. Honey is safe to consume during pregnancy and lactation. While infants are susceptible to the infant botulism, adults, including pregnant females, are not. The concern for babies stems from the fact that infants lack the fully developed gastrointestinal tract of older humans. Since the mother is not in danger of developing this condition, the unborn baby is protected. Spores are inactivated when manufactured food products (such as cereals or nuts) receive a roasting heat treatment. Graham crackers or cereal, for example, would not contain any viable microbial spores.

Allergies

Will eating local honey help with my allergies?

There are anecdotal stories of people claiming relief from allergies by eating local honey, but we are not aware of any scientific evidence to support these claims. This subject is somewhat controversial, since some experts claim that the kinds of pollens that are the greatest cause of allergies are smaller windblown pollens that are not typically found in honey. This topic is also covered on the website of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology here: www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/The-ingestion-of-honey-for-allergy-treatment.aspx. Other sources of information about pollen allergy include the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

FDA

What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and how do I know what I need to do as an Importer or Packer?

What are the currently labeling requirements for honey?

What is honey?

According to the FDA:

Reference materials in the public domain define honey as “a thick, sweet, syrupy substance that bees make as food from the nectar of flowers and store in honeycombs.” 2,3 FDA has concluded that this definition accurately reflects the common usage of the term “honey.”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the NHB

I would like to become a member of the National Honey Board. How do I join?

Because the NHB is an instrumentality of the USDA, there are really no members, dues or joining the National Honey Board.

The National Honey Board's purpose is to expand domestic markets for honey and honey products. Assessments are collected on honey and honey products packed or imported in the United States. The National Honey Board collects these funds and uses them for research and development, advertising and promotion of honey and honey products, consumer education, and industry information.

The National Honey Board's 20 board members are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Board consists of three first handlers, two importers, one importer-handler, three producers, and one marketing cooperative representative and their alternates. The Board is located in Fredrick, Colorado. You can access a listing of current Board members and alternates on the National Honey Board roster.

Bees and Beekeeping

How do I find beekeeping associations or publications?

The American Beekeeping Federation provides a list of common beekeeping associations and publications at the link below.

How can I find a beekeeper to come and speak to my classroom?

I am looking for information on beekeeping.

We suggest getting in touch with your state beekeeping association for resources and help getting started. You can search for your local association on the American Beekeeping Federation's website below.

Cooking with Honey

How do I substitute honey for sugar?

When substituting honey for granulated sugar in recipes, begin by substituting honey for up to half of the sugar called for in the recipe. For baked goods, make sure to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F to prevent overbrowning; reduce any liquid called for by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Because of its high fructose content, honey has higher sweetening power than sugar. This means you can use less honey than sugar to achieve the desired sweetness.

Honey Properties

What is the role of pollen in honey?

Honey is made by honeybees from the nectar of flowers and plants, not pollen. Pollen is actually an accidental guest in honey, brought back by bees as a source of food for baby bees (the “brood”), or incidentally introduced into the honey through other means, such as during the extraction process. Pollen in honey is sometimes analyzed to help determine the primary floral source. The amount of pollen in honey is minuscule and not enough to impact the nutrient value of honey. Honey is still honey, even without pollen.

Does honey have an expiration date?

Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize. These are temperature-dependent processes, making the shelf life of honey difficult to define. For practical purposes, a shelf life of two years is often stated. Properly processed, packaged and stored honey retains its quality for a long time. If in doubt, throw it out, and purchase a new jar of honey!

Obtaining Honey

Where can I purchase a specific type of honey or honey product?

Please visit www.honey.com/honey-locator. On this section of the website, you can search for specific types of honey varieties as there are more than 300 nationwide. It also includes ways to search for other forms of honey (like comb honey or whipped honey), as well as honey from a particular location (such as your home state) and for other goods and services offered by honey producers, packers and importers.

I would like to buy some of your honey.

The National Honey Board does not buy or sell honey. We are an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs.

However, we do provide the option to purchase honey, as well as sell honey in our Honey Locator. The Honey Locator is a valuable search tool that helps people find suppliers to purchase honey from. The website includes ways to search for specific honey varietals, as well as different forms of honey, like comb honey or whipped honey. Honey purchasers can also search for honey from a particular location (such as their home state) and for other goods and services offered by honey producers, packers and importers.

The Website

May I have permission to link to your websites?

I would like to use some of your recipes on my website. May I have permission to use your recipes?

You may use any recipes from our website, but you may not use any of our photography. All of our photography is copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Please credit the National Honey Board when using our recipes. If possible, please provide a link to www.honey.com.

Raw or Processed

Is raw honey more nutritious than processed or filtered honey?

While there is no official U.S. federal definition of “raw” honey, it generally means honey that has not been heated or filtered. We often see or hear claims that raw honey is more nutritious or better for you, primarily because raw honey may contain small amounts of pollen grains that are often removed during processing or filtering.

Honey is produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants, not pollen. Pollen occurs only incidentally in honey. The amount of pollen in honey is miniscule and not enough to impact the nutrient value of honey. A 2004 study by the Australian government found the percentage of dry weight canola pollen in 32 Australian canola honey samples ranged from 0.15% to 0.433%.

A 2012 study by the National Honey Board analyzed vitamins, minerals and antioxidant levels in raw and processed honey. The study showed that processing significantly reduced the pollen content of the honey, but did not affect the nutrient content or antioxidant activity, leading the researchers to conclude that the micronutrient profile of honey is not associated with its pollen content and is not affected by commercial processing. The 2012 study and abstract with statistical analysis was presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference in Boston April 20–24, 2013.

What is raw honey?

While there is no official U.S. federal definition of raw honey, the National Honey Board defines raw honey as “honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.” This definition does not have any legal authority, but is provided to help in the understanding of honey and honey terms. The complete honey definitions document created by the National Honey Board is available here: The Definition of Honey

Honey Filtration

Why is most honey filtered?

According to USDA Grading Standards for extracted honey, filtered honey is honey that has been filtered to the extent that all or most of the fine particles, pollen grains, air bubbles and other materials normally found in suspension have been removed.

Honey that is filtered by packers is filtered for various reasons:

Many consumers prefer honey that is liquid and stays liquid for a long time.

All honey crystallizes eventually. Suspended particles and fine air bubbles in honey contribute to faster crystallization. Filtering helps delay crystallization, helping the honey to remain liquid for a much longer period than unfiltered honey.

Many consumers prefer honey to be clear and brilliantly transparent.

The presence of fine, suspended material (pollen grains, wax, etc.) and air bubbles result in a cloudy appearance that can detract from the appearance. Filtering is done to give a clear, brilliant product desired by consumers. For the filtered style of honey, USDA Grading Standards for Extracted Honey give higher grades for honey that has good clarity.

Honey is filtered to remove extraneous solids that remain after the initial raw processing by the beekeeper.

Various filtration methods are used by the food industry throughout the world. Ultrafiltration, a specific kind of filtration used in the food industry, should not be confused with other filtration methods generally used in the honey industry. When applied to honey, ultrafiltration involves adding water to honey and filtering it under high pressure at the molecular level, then removing the water. It is a much more involved and expensive process, which results in a colorless sweetener product that is derived from honey, but is not considered honey in the U.S.

Honey that is filtered through more traditional methods is still honey, even if pollen has been removed along with other fine particles.

Pollination

How do bees pollinate plants?

As bees travel from blossom to blossom in search of nectar, they brush against the pollen-bearing parts of a flower (anther or stamen) and pick up pollen. When the honeybee goes to another flower for more food, some of the pollen from the first flower sticks to the second flower. In this way, the flowers are pollinated. Almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, sunflowers, watermelon and many other crops all benefit from honeybees for pollination.

How do bees make honey?

Honey is the sweet fluid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. Worker honeybees transform the floral nectar that they gather into honey by adding enzymes to the nectar and reducing the moisture.

Stinging Insects

How do I tell the difference between honeybees and other stinging insects?

To tell the difference between a honeybee and other insects, please visit the following site.

Removing Bees

Who should I call to remove bees from my property?

We suggest that you contact your local beekeeping association. You can click the link below to view a directory of associations by state.

Honey Appearance

Why does my honey look or taste different from what I'm used to?

Honey comes in many colors and flavors. These are called honey varietals and they are determined by the types of flowers the bees visited for nectar. Some are light and sweet; others are dark and bold. Pick the honey you like and enjoy!

My honey has become solid (crystallized). Is it still good?

Crystallization is the natural process by which the glucose in honey precipitates out of the liquid honey. Different varieties of honey will crystallize at different rates, and a few not at all. If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve; or place the honey container, with the cap open, into near boiling water that has been removed from the heat; or place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey. Also keep in mind that you can eat the honey in a crystallized form. Just scoop out of the jar and spread it on your toast or drop it in your tea!

Honey Weight

How much does honey weigh?

Eight fluid ounces (or 1 cup) of honey weighs 12 ounces. Be careful in buying and measuring quantities of honey. Honey is typically sold by weight rather than volume. It is heavier than water; the standard for "fluid ounces," which is why 1 cup of water is considered 8 fluid ounces, but 1 cup of honey will actually weigh 12 ounces. A gallon of honey weighs approximately 12 pounds.

Nutrition

What is honey’s nutritional information?

Please follow the link below for technical specification about the nutritional components of honey.

Infants and Honey

Why can't I feed honey to my baby younger than one year of age?

Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores that can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious disease that affects the nervous system of young babies (under one year old). C. botulinum spores are present throughout the environment and may be found in dust, soil and improperly canned foods. Adults and children over one year of age are routinely exposed to, but not normally affected by, C. botulinum spores. Honey is safe to consume during pregnancy and lactation. While infants are susceptible to the infant botulism, adults, including pregnant females, are not. The concern for babies stems from the fact that infants lack the fully developed gastrointestinal tract of older humans. Since the mother is not in danger of developing this condition, the unborn baby is protected. Spores are inactivated when manufactured food products (such as cereals or nuts) receive a roasting heat treatment. Graham crackers or cereal, for example, would not contain any viable microbial spores.

Allergies

Will eating local honey help with my allergies?

There are anecdotal stories of people claiming relief from allergies by eating local honey, but we are not aware of any scientific evidence to support these claims. This subject is somewhat controversial, since some experts claim that the kinds of pollens that are the greatest cause of allergies are smaller windblown pollens that are not typically found in honey. This topic is also covered on the website of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology here: www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/The-ingestion-of-honey-for-allergy-treatment.aspx. Other sources of information about pollen allergy include the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

FDA

What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and how do I know what I need to do as an Importer or Packer?

What are the currently labeling requirements for honey?

What is honey?

According to the FDA:

Reference materials in the public domain define honey as “a thick, sweet, syrupy substance that bees make as food from the nectar of flowers and store in honeycombs.” 2,3 FDA has concluded that this definition accurately reflects the common usage of the term “honey.”